Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]

Burnout recovery doesn’t happen all at once. Small steps add up, even when progress feels impossible.

Hey Fried fam! Ever looked back at an old journal entry or email and realized you were clearer on what you needed than you thought? In this episode, Sarah Vosen walks through a listener’s raw, unfiltered reflection from a time when burnout had them feeling stuck, exhausted, and unsure how to move forward.

What can you do when you know what you want but can’t see a way to get there? Sarah explores how small shifts, support, and patience can turn overwhelm into real progress. She shares insights from her own recovery and the power of recognizing the wins, even the tiny ones.

Burnout can make change feel impossible, but what if you’re already on your way? Tune in for an episode that will help you see the progress you’ve made and remind you that healing is within reach!

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

05:04 Reflecting on Burnout and Desires

08:28 Initial Steps in Burnout Recovery

09:45 Fajardo Method and Nervous System Healing

10:51 Working While Recovering

12:05 Moving and Major Life Changes

13:00 Current Work and Practice

14:09 Achievements and Progress

15:02 Enjoying Nature and Retreats

15:56 Family and Boundaries

17:01 Letting Go of Control

18:07 Physical Health Improvements

18:59 Reflecting on Progress

20:04 Writing Your Burnout Story

21:08 Self-Compassion and Validation

22:22 Burnout Web of Causation Guide

25:03 Encouragement and Support Options

Links

Join us on February 26 for "Understanding Where Your Burnout Came From," [https://bit.ly/burnoutweb25] a live, interactive workshop where we can take the first step to untangle your burnout knot—together.

We’ll be working through The Burnout Web of Causation, a tool designed to help you:

- See the bigger picture of what’s contributing to your burnout.

- Identify the stressors you can control—and the ones you can’t.

- Take practical steps to start cutting the threads of burnout, one by one.

REMEMBER: Burnout Recovery works better with support.

Connect with Cait:

Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcait

Initial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahv

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]

Burnout thrives in the spaces where people aren’t saying what they really mean.

In this episode, Cait Donovan is joined by Nahal Yousefian, a former head of HR at Netflix, to talk about why work culture fuels burnout and what needs to change. Nahal shares how burnout hit her hard—so hard she physically couldn’t move—and why that moment forced her to rethink everything.

Nahal pulls back the curtain on corporate dysfunction, from empty jargon to leadership that talks in circles. Why are companies obsessed with being “strategic” while refusing to make clear decisions? Why does psychological safety feel like a buzzword instead of a real priority? And what happens when employees finally get tired of playing along?

This episode cuts through the noise and makes the case for honest conversations, smarter work structures, and a workplace where well-being isn’t treated like an afterthought.

Quotes

• “The leader was talking about apples, the employees talking about oranges, and HR is in the middle trying to get them to see that they’re talking about two different things.” (16:16 | Nahal Yousefian)
• “I think after 20 years in the business, which was last summer, I started to realize that with the coming up of AI and the sort of technology and the social media platforms and avenues, I think that I would be able to exact change faster coming out than being inside a corporation.” (10:11 | Nahal Yousefian)
• “In a day and age where generations coming into the workplace are demanding authenticity, corporate jargon has gone even more on steroids than ever before.” (22:33| Nahal Yousefian)
• “If you look at the numbers, it’s a mathematical game where the number of managers who will judge you for asking questions versus the ones that won’t. We tend to go with the 80-20 rule. We know 20% of the managers are going to create a fair environment and I’m scared to ask questions, but 80% are okay. But because of that 20%, the employees reporting to the other 80% don’t do it either. So I think that’s the dynamic that we need to shift.” (28:44 | Nahal Yousefian)
• “Following your heart is burnout prevention and burnout recovery. It’s one of the rare things that fits in both categories.” (58:32 | Cait Donovan)

Links

Connect with Nahal Yousefian:

www.thebarraisers.com

https://www.instagram.com/thebarraisers?igsh=Y3BhZTh4cTd4NW1k&utm_source=qr

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nahalyousefian/

Connect with Cait:

Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcait

Initial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahv

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm